New Kanye West album ‘Yandhi’: release date, guest spots, producers and everything else we know

Just in case you hadn’t had quite enough Kanye West for one year, there’s another album incoming. Hold your eye rolls, though, cause this one could be quite exciting. Titled ‘Yandhi’ (stay with us), it’s reportedly a follow-on from for Kanye’s genre-busting, game-changing 2013 record ‘Yeezus’. Which certainly pitches it higher than half the Wyoming records, anyway.

With the album underway – and already delayed once, naturally – we thought best to round up everything we know about Kanye West’s ninth studio album.

Latest updates:

‘Yandhi’ is not being held up by West’s ongoing legal dispute, according to reports

It’s reported that Kanye will appear on new series of My Next Guest… David Letterman’s Netflix talk show

Has Kanye released any tracks from Yandhi?

Readers, he may have. Twice now Kanye has hosted a ‘Sunday Service’, wherein he presents gospel choir versions of his own songs – from ‘Father Stretch My Hands’ to ‘Ghost Town’ – and on the recent, second instalment he premiered ‘We’ll Find A Way’, a soulful new track that could well appear on ‘Yandhi’.

Sharethrough (Mobile)

Who features on ‘Yandhi’?

In a September visit to The Fader’s office, West reportedly confirmed the inclusion of 6ix9ine and XXXTentacion on ‘Yandhi’. The move has attracted widespread criticism, due to 6ix9ine’s previous guilty pleas to sexual abuse of an underage woman, and XXXTentacion’s widely-reported domestic battery allegations.

He also said Ty Dolla $ign would appear on multiple tracks, and that he was sending a hook to Rihanna for her to sing. It’s not yet known who has co-produced the tracks on ‘Yandhi’ alongside Ye – ‘Yeezus’ was, famously, co-produced by Rick Rubin.

In October, Migos’ Quavo revealed that he and his bandmates are set to feature on the record. “I did a record for [Kanye], we did a record for ‘Yandhi’,” he told Power 106’s The Cruz Show, “He called us.”

According to TMZ, Kanye is said to be recording the album now (January 7) in Miami with Lil Wayne, Migos, Timbaland and 2 Chainz in a new $14 million home he recently bought for his wife Kim.

The site wrote: “After working on 5 albums last year … Yeezy’s keeping his foot on the pedal in 2019, and the roster of heavy hitters makes it clear lots of people are dying to collab with Mr. West.”

When’s ‘Yandhi’ released?

“I need to go, I need to find out what it’s really called,” he told TMZ, “Just grab the soil and be and cook food, five meals a day so the metabolism stays up, have my kids in the studio, and have the mic in the open so you can hear nature while we’re recording.”

The release date was then moved to November 30 (commonly known as Black Friday) – which at least suggests he’s not rushing it, as he reportedly did with previous albums released this year. “It is worth the wait,” said Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian.

“It felt so good being on the stage last night with my brother Cudi,” he wrote on Twitter. “After performing again, I realise the new album I’ve been working on isn’t ready yet. I’ll announce the release date once it’s done. Thank you for understanding.”

It felt so good being on the stage last night with my brother Cudi. After performing again, I realize the new album I’ve been working on isn’t ready yet. I’ll announce the release date once it’s done. Thank you for understanding.

It’s now been reported that Kanye will appear on season two of My Next Guest…, David Letterman’s Netflix talk show, having taped their conversation on January 14. There’s no premiere date, but perhaps it will coincide with the release of ‘Yandhi’.

A recent report in The Blastwhich claimed that Kanye West was in a legal dispute over the release of his next album (leading to delays) has now been denied by a rep from the West camp, according to XXL who quote the rep as reportedly saying the claims were “untrue”.

What is the artwork for ‘Yandhi’?

The artwork for ‘Yandhi’ features a similar stripped-back, minimalist style to that of ‘Yeezus’, emulating a transparent case for a MiniDisc, a now defunct audio format which was largely available from 1992 to 2013, and carried up to 80 minutes of music.

Check out the ‘Yandhi’ artwork below.

Kanye West’s ‘Yandhi’ artwork

What does ‘Yandhi’ mean?

Much as 2013’s ‘Yeezus’ was a less-than-subtle interpolation of the name ‘Jesus’, ‘Yandhi’ sees West comparing himself to Mahatma Gandhi – the Indian activist who led the Indian independence movement against British rule.

What is the tracklisting for ‘Yandhi’?

The tracklisting for ‘Yandhi’ has not yet been revealed.

What will ‘Yandhi’ sound like?

Due to the similarities in name, many have speculated that ‘Yandhi’ will follow a similar sonic thread to ‘Yeezus’, Kanye’s 2013 noise-indebted, industrial hip-hop album. Upon its announcement, Def Jam Records (the parent company of Kanye’s GOOD Music) delivered a coy response to speculation that the album will indeed be ‘Yeezus’ follow-up.

In addition, during his visit to The Fader’s office, one fan captured 15 seconds of new music. In one track, he raps about “giving up my slave name”. He also addresses his children, saying: “Saint, you don’t really need a last name/North, you don’t really need a last name.“ Listen to that clip below.

“I started incorporating sounds that you’ve never heard before, pushing, and having concepts that people don’t talk about,” Kanye also told TMZ. “We have concepts talkin’ about body shaming and women being looked down upon for how many people that they’ve slept with. It’s just a full Ye album. Those five albums that I dropped earlier were like superhero rehabilitation. Now the alien Ye is fully back in mode, off of medication, working out, breathing as much fresh air as possible, thinking, doing, being himself.”

On October 14, Kanye live-streamed an 11-minute video titled ‘Spaceship calling earth| 3 Domes Uganda.’ In the clip, he rapped: “Relax your mind / Let your conscious be free / No matter what they say / I’m gonna still be free,” and also shouted out his “brother A$AP Ferg,” and mentioned a “2019 prophecy.” Check that out above.